Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-06-02
RATES OF SUBSCRIPTION.
A MESSAGE FROM THE PAST.
a Tablet from One OF the Early Prospec-
tors i'm the Black Hills.

a Tablet from One OF the Early Prospec-
tors in the Black Hills.
The Spearlish (Dakota) Register
says: From time 10 time since the
settlement of the Hills relics of former
occupancy by whites have been found
in the richer placer camps-a primi-
tive sluice-box here, pick and shovel
there, an abandoned shaft somewhere
else, all buried beneath the aceumu-
lated drift of years-mute evidences Of
hardy pioneers, who, leaving their
homes and loved ones in search of
gold. were never heard from more
The Indians to whom these Hills were
a Mecca, so TO speak, might have
thrown light on the fate of these early
adventurers, but the subject, was
never, so far as we have ever learned,
mentioned to the hated palefaces.
Last Monday, as Mr.. Louis Thoen
was collecting stone for the founda-
tions of the new block, working near
the foot of Lookout, in the middle
draw, he pried up a large flat rock
from projecting point, and noticed
that a smaller flat piece under it, had
what appeared like writing on its face.
Picking it up carefully and brushing
the dirt from it he found that it was
really carved, as if with knife point.
He took the find home, washed it
carefully, and TO his surprise found
the opposite side also carved but not
so deeply. Mr.. Thoen brought The
tablet downtown, and kindly left it at
the Register Office, thus giving all
who heard of it an opportunity to see
and decipher it, of which chance
scores took advantage. The upper
side bore the inscription;
got all the gold we could carry our
ponys all got by the Indians / have
lost my gun and nothing to eat and In
dams hunting me
And the reverse side:
Came TO the Hills in 1888 seven of
us
De Lacompte all Diet but me
Ezra Kind Ezra Kind
G w Wood
T Brown Killed by Ind be-
r Kent yond the high hill
VIM King got all our gold
Indian Grow June 1854
The first date on the latter side is
plain, while the third figure in the
last, under glass, looks like 4 faulty
5, though TO the naked eye it appears
to be 3. Some doubt as TO the gem
uineness Of the tablet is expressed, on
the ground that the art of separating
gold from gravel, or placer-mining,
was not known at that date; also that
it is preposterous to believe that seven
men could in one or two seasons take
out all the gold they could carry. IL
is more than probable that the dates
are meant for 1853 and 1854, though
we are told that Father De Smet ac-
knowledged to having seen gold from
the Black Hills as far back rs 1923.
In the early parts of the fifties several
parties bound for California passed to
the westward and in sight of the Hills
In 1857 Mr.. a. j. Poznansky, then n
boy in Omaha, saw and talked with
two Welshman who had been picked
up in this vicinity by a returning party
of Californians, being the survivors of
squad of nine; they had with them
Sc, 900 in Black Hills gold. Before
that the Sioux had frequently sold gold
to Missouri river captains, carrying
the same in buckskin bags such rs
used by white men, but would not tell
where or how they got it, simply point
ing westward. About the same time
one De Gray, in conversation with Mr.
Kingsbury, said he knew of place in
the Black Hills where gold could be
had in abundance, describing the place
so accurately that Mr. Kingsbury
readily recognized IL more than twenty
years afterwards in the locality cover
ed by two Of the richest claims on
Sand creek. These facts prove that it
was not impossible for the party TO
have taken out call the gold they
could carry" which, under the cir
cumstances, would not be more than
twenty-five or thirty points or $1,000
to $4,000 apiece. 1t is presumable that
their Indian guide would take them to
the richer pockets known to his poo-
pie. In 1867 one man on French
creek took out little over $4,000;
in '77-8 another one in Rockerville
washed ont with rocker between 4l2,-
600 and $4,000; several claims in
Deadwood guich, at least two claims
on Gold run, and one on Bobtail, to
our personal knowledge, were rich
enough to have yielded the quantity Of
gold named in the time given. In l879
we saw four pounds of coarse gold
taken from an abandoned claim on
Gold run in u short day by TWO
not over industrious boys. 1t was
from just such rich pockets or deposits
that the Indians got their gold.
The draw in which the tablet was
concealed is admirably adapted for
concealment from pursucrs, being six
or eight feet deep at the point Of dis
covery, the banks rising to height Of
twenty or twenty-five feet nearer the
foot of the hill, and covered with a
heavy growth Of brush, a steep natural
path leading down from beyond the
high hill.
Mr.. r. III. Evans and a party OF the
Montanians who first settled in the
valley found number OF camp
utensils cached or buried on Lookout
not far from the above point, a frying
pan and knife being in a good state Of
preservation, though bearing evidence
Of having been buried there for years.
Down the Spcarfish, in plain sight Of
Lookout, was one Of the favOritc camp
ing-grounds Of the Indians, who would
naturally be in this vicinity in June,
when deer and antelope wouid be
abundant in the ncighboring valleys.
Ever on the alert they would readily
detect the presence Of small party Of
| the hated white men, which, once dis
covered, could scarcely hope for es-
capc.
The tablet is the most valuable, as
well as the most interesting discovery
yet made III the Hills giving as il does
clews that may lead TO more knowledge
Of the unfortunate men whose mp!an-
choly fate is recorded.
Suede gloves have nothing on earth
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